Smoker&#39;s pipe tobacco ash remover



May 12, 1959 E. G. JENKINS sMoKERs PIPE TOBACCO ASH REMovER Filed Sept. 26, 1955 United States atent SMUKERS PIPE TOBACCO ASH REMOVER i Eric G. Jenkins, Canberra, Australia Application September 26, 1955, Serial No. 536,549

l Claim. (Cl. ISI-246) The invention relates to a device for removing tobacco ash from the bowl of a smokers pipe.

The term smokers pipe, which will be referred to hereinafter as pipe, is intended to mean a smokers pipe of conventional and generally accepted design, having a cup shaped bowl which in shape is substantially concentric and parallel to the axis of the bowl and which is utilised to contain tobacco for smoking.

The term ash expressed hereinafter has reference to unwanted, used or consumed tobacco.

It will be well known that since the inception of tobacco smoking in pipes, the removal of ash tobacco from the bowl of a pipe has been accomplished with some measure of inconvenience, the general practice being to invert the pipe and sharply tap the bowl on some fixed object or by the somewhat slower process of inserting a sharp or pronged instrument into the pipe bowl in a manner so that the disturbed contents can tumble out. In each case the method is cumbersome and to an extent can result in nicotine stained or soiled fingers.

It is an object of my invention to substantially obviate this inconvenience by providing an ash extractor which will remove the ash from the pipe bowl in a satisfactory and efficient manner entailing a minimum of effort.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for removing ash from the bowl of the pipe, that may be fixedly or removably set in a tobacco ash tray.

To accomplish these and other objects, which will become apparent in the following description, my invention resides in a tobacco ash remover comprising a vertically disposed tubular body member having a first fixed closure forming a support member at its lower end and a second fixed closure within which a hollow drive rod is slideably journalled the rod having its distal end extendably upwardly from and its lower end positioned within said tubular body member, a pressure-plate comprising an axially positioned nut fixed to the lower end and an ash removing tool comprising a vertically disposed fiat disclike member having a ball-like projection protruding from the axially uppermost point of the periphery of the said disc-like member, the tool being fixed distally to said drive rod, a screw having a threaded portion adapted to co-act with said nut so as to project into said hollow drive rod, said screw being positioned axially within said tubular body member and having its lower end fixed to said first closure, spring means within said tubular body member positioned to urge said pressure-plate toward the lower surface of said second fixed closure whereby upon axial movement being imparted to the ash removing tool and drive rod against the bias of said spring means said ash removing tool is caused to rotate by the action of the screw member and its co-acting nut.

In order to make the work of the ash remover more easy and also to eliminate any tendency of the ash removing tool to cut into, or unduly abrade the wood at the bottom of the pipe bowl, it is preferred to include at the axially outer end of the device, integrally with the ash removing tool a ball-like projection which protrudes from the axially upper point of the periphery of the ash removing tool and provides what is substantially a bearing or point contact with the wood at the base of the pipe bowl and so lifts the ash removing tool clear stem bore and the bowl and enables the ash removing tool to be rotated and oscillated with a minimum of` applied pressure on the screw.

But in order that the objects and several features of the invention may be more fully understood and carried into effect there will now be given, with reference to the act,

companying drawing a description of the device aforementioned.

It is to be understood however that the illustrative device is selected for description merely by way of exemplification of the invention and not by way of limitation thereof.

In the accompanying drawing the single figure is a sectional view of a preferred form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a tubular body member 1 has at one end a first fixed closure 7 forming a support member and at its other end a second fixed closure 2 within which a hollow drive rod 3 is slideably journalled at 12, the rod having its distal end extending, upwardly from and its lower end positioned within said tubular body member 1, a pressure-plate 6, within which and integrally therewith is an axially positioned slot forming a co-acting nut 9, is fixed to the lower end of drive rod 3. A twisted member forming the threads of a screw 8 is positioned axially within the tubular body member 1 its base is fixed to the first fixed closure 7 and extends to form a threaded portion to co-act with nut. 9, spring 10 within said tubular body member is positioned to urge the pressure-plate 6 toward the lower surface of the second fixed closure 2 which limits further outward travel of rod 3. A substantially disc shaped ash removing tool 4 is fixed at the distal end of the said hollow drive rod.

In the preferred form screw 8 is formed of ribbon-like metal stock, twisted in configuration to the shape of a screw. A coacting nut 9 having mating threads of such steep pitch as to be sufficient to cause one rotation or more of the drive rod 3 when a force is applied axially thereupon a bearing ball-like projection 5 is located at the axially outer end of the ash removing tool 4 which substantially eliminates any tendency of the ash removing tool 4 to cut into, or unduly abrade the wood at the bottom of the pipe bowl.

In operation the ash remover is fixed vertically in a tobacco ash repectacle. A smokers pipe bowl containing unwanted tobacco residue is inverted and the ash removing tool made to enter bowl. Downward pressure of the bowl will cause the tool to penetrate the tobacco residue until the bottom of the bowl is reached. Further pressure in an axial direction will rotate the tool and removal of the bowl permits the tool to revolve vigorously as the drive rod returns to its fully extended position thereby ejecting unwanted tobacco from the pipe bowl.

It will be clearly understood that downward pressure exerted on the projection 5 will rotate rod 3 in its downward travel by engaging the nut 9 with screw 8 at the same time compresisng coil spring 10 to a position where the under side of pressure-plate 6 abuts the upper portion 11 of the first fixed closure member 7 in which position spring 10 is contracted between the interior walls of tubular body member 1 and the extended portion of closure member 7. Release of pressure on ball-like projection 5 enables spring 10 to expand and to rotate rod 3 in upward travel to its fully extended position.

What I claim is:

A smokers ash remover of the kind described comprising a vertically disposed tubular body member having a Patented May 12, 1959,`

first xed closure forming-a support member at its lower end'and-a second-fixed closure within `which awhollowdrive rod is slideably journalled the rod having its distal end extendably upwardly from and its lower end posi tioned-within1 said tubular bodyy member', a' pressure-plate comprising an axially `positioned nut fixedy to -the lower end and v'any ash'removingtool lcomprising a vertically'LA disposedvflat disc-like vmemberhavirig a ball-like projection protruding from the-axially uppermostipoint off the f periphery of4 the said disc-like member, th'evtool being xed distallyl to said drive rod, a screw having `a threadedportion adapted to co-act with-saidnut so as to projectf into said hollow drive rod, saidserew -being positioned axially withinv said tubular body member andfh'aving its lower end 'Xed to said first-closure,` spring means withirv said tubular bodymemberpositioned to urge said? pres'-I sureplate toward the lower surface of said second fixed closure -whereby uponl axialmovementbeingimpartedwto the ash removing tool and drive rod against the bias of said spring means said ashremoving tool is caused to rotate by the action of the screw member and its co-acting nut.

References Cited-inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSl 

